PBS sent me a sneak peek of their upcoming premier of “Dirt The Movie.” We’re snowed in for the weekend, so we decided now was a great time to check it out.

“DIRT! The Movie” travels around the world, delving into the fascinating history of the lowly substance we call dirt, and shows how its mistreatment can be disastrous to mankind.

The movie’s goal is to change the way we look at dirt. Dirt is the living skin of our Earth. One little teaspoon of healthy dirt contains over a billion living organisms. Many in today’s society don’t consider how important dirt is to our very existence.

If we continue to exploit the soil, and don’t start to take care if it, and rebuild it the fate of the soil and of human beings is intimately linked. If we don’t take care of the soil, our future is in danger.

The movie makes you really think about how important the soil is. Almost everything we depend on in life is related to soil in one way or another.

“DIRT The Movie” helps us explore dirt and our Earth. It brings everything into perspective. Dirt may survive a catastrophic event long term, but the human race will not. Destroying our Earth’s soil does not paint a very promising future for the next generations.

The movie is based on the book “Dirt: The Ecstatic Skin of the Earth” by William Bryant Logan, and will be airing on PBS’s Independent Lens in conjunction with Earth Day month, on April 20th.

If you’d like a sneak peek, check out the short movie trailer below.

Image: Common Ground Media/ITVS

If you’re like me you and you froze some wonderful strawberries last spring while they were full of flavor and in season in your garden, I have a few recipes to share with you today.

I love strawberries straight from the freezer still frozen, even in the winter. Here are a few other ways to use up those delicious frozen bites.

One of my favorites is a strawberry smoothie, add a little chocolate and it’s even more wonderful!
Make a Frozen Strawberry Margarita to celebrate the new garden season.
This Homemade Strawberry Cake is on my list to make this week.
Or maybe it will …read more

Gardener’s love plants and flowers, so picking a Valentine’s Day gift for a gardener is not to difficult. If you want to really show them you’re paying attention, here are a few gift ideas that will put a smile on your gardener’s face.

Garden Bon Bons are my new favorite gardening gift ever. Little bon bons that you can plant in the ground and grow, instead of eat. How fun is that?
Give a Year of Seeds for Valentine’s Day, what gardener wouldn’t love that?
Gardeners love flowers, so they’re always a big hit. Make them flowers they can replant in the garden, …read more

If you’re a gardening fan in the North Carolina area, make plans to attend this year’s Mountain In Bloom 2010 Garden Festival. If you’re out of the area, you can plan a mini vacation and head on over to the show.
More than 1,000 home and garden enthusiasts attend The Bascom’s Mountains in Bloom Festival each year in the resort community of Highlands, N.C. The festival is comprised of a variety of events that benefit The Bascom.
Here’s what you can expect to see at the Mountains In Bloom 2010 Garden Festival:

Garden tour and lunch – tour majestic gardens in …read more

I love to get an early start on my garden by starting a few seeds indoors this time of year, but how do you know what type of seed starting pot to use to get the best results?

I’m not sure it matters what type you use, what matters most is the tlc you give to your seeds and seedlings when they start growing. There are some pros and cons for the different types of seed starting pots.

Plastic Pots have a huge drawback for me because they’re not bio-degradable. I never buy plastic pots to plant my seedlings in, but I …read more

I adore crocus, simply because it’s the first flower of the year to bloom in my garden. It defies the laws of nature to peek it’s pretty little head above the ground when there’s still snow flying all around.

In southern gardens, you’re probably already seeing the crocus starting to bloom. In my northern garden it’s usually closer to February and March.
There’s something very cheery about their tiny bright colored blooms peeking out from under the snow, when the temperatures are still hovering around the freezing mark. They only grow a few inches above the ground before they bloom.
Crocus is not …read more

The Central Ohio Home and Garden Show begins Saturday February 27th and runs through March 7th. I’m planning on checking it out on March 6th or 7th. I’m hoping to be there on March 7th to check out the cake decorating contest, but all of the events in the line up sound like fun.

I wrote about some of the early Central Ohio Home and Garden Show details last fall, but now I have more of the schedule to share.
Check out the talent, and events they have lined up so far for the Central Ohio Home & Garden Show:

Shane Tallant, host …read more

Rain Chains are just what they sound like. They use a series of metal chains to help guide water in to a rain barrel or basin. They’re a wonderful alternative to downspouts or gutters on your house. They’re a time-honored method of rainwater collection.
Rain Chains help you collect water during rainier seasons, for use in your garden during drier months of
the year. I love that they’re functional and add beauty to your home at the same time.
You can hang rain chains from the gutter as an attractive replacement for downspouts.

Companion Group has some new Rain Chains in their new 2010 …read more

Today I have some fun new 2010 garden gear from The Companion Group. First up, I really like this Waist-tie Garden Apron. It’s made to sit comfortably on your hips. I love that it has plenty of pockets and loops because it seems like I never have enough pockets when I head out to the garden for all the tools and seeds I’m trying to carry. Then I sit them all down at the end of the garden and have to walk back to get them.

If I had everything in this apron they’d be within arm’s reach when I’m ready …read more

I planted an amaryllis bulb way back in October. I’ve been faithfully watering it every week and keeping an eye on it, but nothing happened. Until just a couple days ago I there was nothing green on the bulb except the stubs of a couple cut off leaves from a previous year’s growth.

I wrote it off as being a dud, and decided it wasn’t going to bloom. I thought maybe I’d just save it until the spring, then plant it out in the yard and leave it to fend for itself.
Then I was looking at one of my other plants …read more